Dear readers and customers,
every few years, a new “generation” is born – not so much in the biological sense, but in the marketing department of a large corporation. If you believe the headlines, every human on Earth can be neatly boxed into a letter or label: “Generation X”, “Millennials”, “Generation Z”, and soon, perhaps, “Generation Oh-No-Not-Again”.
But here’s the problem: these boxes aren’t real.
They’re constructs, stitched together by advertisers and consultants who need a way to sell sneakers, smartphones, and self-help books to slightly different age groups. A generation isn’t science. It’s branding.
The very idea assumes that millions of people who happened to be born within the same 15-year window have the same values, habits, and life goals. Which is, quite frankly, absurd. Example: a 27-year-old teacher in rural India and a 27-year-old banker in Zurich probably have more differences than connections – and no catchy demographic label bridges that gap.
Generational thinking gives us the illusion of understanding: it reduces human complexity into snackable stereotypes.
It also conveniently distracts from the fact that the world’s real divides – inequality, education, access to technology, opportunity – are not tied to birth years, but to systems and choices we collectively create.
Labeling generations does something else, too: it quietly pits us against each other.
“Boomers” roll their eyes at “lazy Millennials”. “Gen Z” mocks “tech-challenged” “Gen Xers”. Each group finds comfort in blaming the other for whatever has gone wrong. Meanwhile, the same global challenges – climate change, distrust, automation, polarization – continue to demand cooperation across ages, not rivalry between them.
It’s almost poetic how well this trick works.
Divide people into groups, make them feel fundamentally different, then sell them products and political promises tailored to that imagined divide.
If humanity is going to outgrow the generational game, we’ll need more than a snappy hashtag. Here are a few ideas:
- Think cross-generationally: when solving problems, deliberately include perspectives from multiple age groups. Not because they’re “Boomers” or “Zoomers”, but because wisdom grows in different soils
- Retire the labels: next time someone says “Typical Millennial”, try asking “What do you really mean by that?” It’s amazing how often stereotypes melt under a bit of polite curiosity
- Focus on shared challenges: whether it’s sustainability, fairness, or technology’s role in society. These issues don’t care when you were born. They demand our collective intelligence, and our humanity
In the end, maybe the only “real” generation that matters is the one currently alive. All of us. The sooner we stop dividing ourselves into market segments, the sooner we can start acting like a species again.
All the best,
the aethyx staff
